Embodiments of the invention are directed to computer aided design (CAD) and, in particular, to systems and methods for managing the processing of multiple CAD drawings. CAD software is often used by designers, architects, engineers and the like to prepare a two-dimensional (2D) CAD drawing or three-dimensional (3D) model or models representing different physical objects, such as a mechanical device, a bridge, a building, an automobile, and airplane, etc. The more complicated the object being illustrated, the more complicated the drawings illustrating that object. For example, with respect to a building, the drawing will include the structural components of the building, including the beams, columns, walls, floors, windows, doors, etc. (the “frame”), as well as the HVAC, plumbing, electrical, fire sprinkler, and other components.
Most CAD designs are generated as a result of collaborative and iterative processes. For example, with respect to a building design, after the frame is designed by the architects and structural engineers to create a base CAD drawing of the building structure, that base drawing is then sent to other designers or subcontractors to add their components to the design, including HVAC ducting, plumbing layouts, electrical chases, fire sprinkler lines, etc. The same process is generally followed for civil engineering or with more complicated designs of other objects, such as tool making, automobile and airplanes designs, etc.
During the design process, the various designers have multiple options for creating CAD designs for their specific portions of the project. In the simplest case, all the designers can utilize the same CAD program used to create the base drawing. However, in many instances, the designers utilize different third-party programs that are specific to their particular field, which requires data to be exported from the base drawing to the third party program so the design can be created using the third-party program and then the new data is imported from the third-party program back into the base drawing.
Alternatively, a stand-alone product with its own 3D intelligent design engine, such as AutoSPRINK® by M.E.P.CAD, Inc. (assignee of the present invention), could be used to both create the base drawings and to add subcontract designs, such as fire sprinkler systems. Such programs are typically able to run on widely available personal computers running popular operating systems like Microsoft® Windows®. Programs such as AutoSPRINK are also capable of importing or exporting different types of CAD files.
With multiple designers participating in the design and review processes on various versions of the CAD drawings for a particular object, a number of problems can arise with respect to managing modifications, identifying and/or resolving conflicts, the reconciliation of 2D and 3D drawings, coordinating associations between related drawings and the like. For example, in the process of adding M.E.P. trade (“mechanical, electrical, plumbing” and other trade) designs to a base building or structural drawing, or revising a drawing in some other way, it is common for conflicts to arise between different objects within that drawing (e.g., objects that share the same physical space). Moreover, oftentimes when one object is moved to address a particular conflict, another conflict may be created.
Furthermore, to expedite the design of subcontracted components for a particular project, different subcontractors often work on their modifications to a building design in parallel with one another. These parallel modified CAD drawings are then combined to create a complete design. While faster in some ways, this parallel process can create conflict problems, especially for large drawings. Furthermore, even though a subcontractor may only be responsible for a handful of conflicts, that subcontractor would typically be sent the entire drawing with all the different subcontractor conflicts along with a video and/or a conflict report, and be expected to find their conflicts and resolve them. As a result, a first conflict resolution meeting or design review will often be followed by several additional conflict resolution meetings as the correction of one set of conflicts can generate other problems. Hence, extensive time and resources are often expended to identify and correct conflicts with CAD drawings.